Florida nabs largest python ever found in state
图片来源，佛罗里达州西南部保护区
她的最后一顿饭是一整只白尾鹿，她正在与一条公蛇会合的路上，但却遇到了死亡。这是在佛罗里达州发现的最大的蟒蛇。
Her last meal was an entire white-tailed deer, and she was on her way to a rendezvous with a male snake when the largest python ever found in Florida met her demise.
这只雌性缅甸蟒蛇重215磅（98公斤），长近18英尺（5米），在研究人员使用雄性“侦察兵”找到她后被抓住。
Weighing in at 215lbs (98kg) and nearly 18ft long (5m), the female Burmese python was caught after researchers used a male "scout" to find her.
他们周三说，她与生物学家大战了20分钟才被“制服”。
She wrestled with biologists for 20 minutes before she was "subdued", they said Wednesday.
在佛罗里达州，蟒蛇已经成为没有天敌的入侵蛇类，打败了本地物种。
Pythons have become pests in Florida as invasive snakes with no major predators, out-competing native species.
自从不负责任的宠物主人释放或允许宠物蟒蛇逃脱以来，这些蛇在该州不时被发现，许多蛇在佛罗里达州的亚热带气候中茁壮成长。
The serpents have been periodically found in the state since irresponsible pet owners released or allowed pet pythons to escape years ago, with many then going on to thrive in Florida's subtropical climate.
根据州生物学家伊恩·巴托谢克（Ian Bartoszek）的说法，被佛罗里达州西南部保护协会的研究人员杀害的雌性缅甸蟒蛇，如果垂直伸展，大约相当于长颈鹿的高度。
The record-setting Burmese female killed by researchers from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida was about the height of a giraffe if stretched out vertically, according to state biologist Ian Bartoszek.
她一直在佛罗里达大沼泽地森林周围滑行，这时生物学家用一只名叫狄俄尼索斯的雄性蟒蛇，配备了无线电发射器，诱捕了她。
She had been slithering around the Florida Everglades forest when biologists, using a male python named Dionysus outfitted with a radio transmitter, found her.
他在森林西部的一个地方停了下来。“我们知道他在那里是有原因的，团队发现他和我们迄今为止见过的最大的雌蛇在一起，”巴托谢克说。她还被发现怀孕了,有惊人的122个蛋。
He stopped at a spot in the western part of the forest. "We knew he was there for a reason, and the team found him with the largest female we have seen to date," Mr Bartoszek said. She was also discovered to have been pregnant with an astonishing 122 eggs.
有史以来发现的最大的雄性是16英尺和140磅。
The largest male ever found there was 16ft and 140lbs.
据估计，她被抓到时已经20岁了。
It is estimated that she was up to 20 years old when caught.
研究人员已经在佛罗里达州狩猎蟒蛇超过10年，以保护该地区生态系统中的本地物种。
Researchers have been hunting pythons in Florida for over 10 years in an effort to protect native species in the region's ecosystem.
自2013年成立以来，佛罗里达州西南部的保护协会的蟒蛇项目已经从佛罗里达州西南部约100平方英里的范围内消灭了1000多条蟒蛇。
Since being established in 2013, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida's python programme has removed over 1,000 pythons from around 100 sq miles in southwest Florida.
佛罗里达州还举办年度竞赛，向公众寻求帮助，以狩猎蟒蛇。“蟒蛇挑战赛”将于8月5日至14日举行，预计将吸引来自25个不同州的约600名选手参与。
Florida also runs an annual contest asking the public for help with hunting pythons. The "Python Challenge" will run from 5 to 14 August and is expected to draw around 600 participants from 25 different states.
奖项包括：捕蛇数量最多，奖2，500美元（2，050英镑），以及捕获最长的蛇奖1，500美元。
Prizes include $2,500 (£2,050) for most snakes captured, and $1,500 for the longest snake caught.
去年的获胜者捕获了223条蟒蛇，而最长的蛇长15英尺。所有被捕获的蛇都将被人道毁灭。
Last year's winner captured 223 pythons, while the longest snake was 15 feet long. All snakes must be killed humanely.
